Let's continue the conversation- send me a text! Join me in an important conversation with Drs. Jessica Sullivan and Lauren Calandruccio about the IMPACT Program which stands for Innovative Mentoring and Professional Advancement through Cultural Training. The goal of the IMPACT Program is to increase diversity within the field of speech-language pathology and audiology. These 2 audiologists have partnered together to offer a year-long mentoring program for students of color to elevate, support, educate, create networks, build confidence, and foster friendships. Dr. Sullivan shares her own personal journey of becoming a black audiologist in a predominantly white profession and how her experiences shaped a formal mentoring program for undergraduate students. Dr. Calandruccio shares her insight on the positive impact of providing students access to diverse professionals in the field the ways these connections have empowered her students. Take a listen and learn about the IMPACT Program’s priorities and the opportunities it has to offer and consider how this podcast can impact you to make a difference and implement a similar program. Dr. Jessica Sullivan is the interim Department Chair and assistant professor in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders department at Hampton. Lauren Calandruccio is the Louis D. Beaumont University Professor II, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. For more information visit: https://psychsciences.case.edu/faculty/lauren-calandruccio/ https://science.hamptonu.edu/csad/facstaff.cfm https://www.instagram.com/impact_csd/ https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2021/10000/Student_IMPACT__New_Program_Promotes_Diversity,.1.aspx https://www.asha.org/siteassets/surveys/2020-member-and-affiliate-profile.pdf For more information about Dr. Carrie Spangler- check out her Linktree at https://linktr.ee/carrie.spangler. For transcripts of this episode- visit the podcast website at: https://empowearaudiology.buzzsprout.com